New Seaway Pipeline set to make way through Texoma

GRAYSON COUNTY, TX -- While the battle over the Keystone XL pipeline continues, another crude oil pipeline is set to go straight through Texoma with construction planned to begin this summer.

Nicolette Schleisman spoke with a landowner who has already signed off on an easement on her property.

The landowner I spoke with says the Seaway Crude Pipeline Company handled the easement quickly, and quietly.

She says the company accommodated her requests fairly, she just wishes she had a little more advance notice.

"it was just a little shocking that the night before, we get this phone call out of the blue asking if they could come out and survey the property," said Catherine Butschek.

Catherine Butschek and her husband own land a few miles south of Whitewright in Grayson County.

She says just one day after receiving that call -- a letter arrived from the Seaway Crude Pipeline Company outlining their plans and asking to survey her property.

The main concern for Butschek wasn't the fact that the Seaway pipeline was going to be built on her land, it was the fact that she wasn't made well aware of the plans in advance.

Butschek says their negotiation only took a week.

"It just came and went so fast. Before you know it, it was here and gone. And it looks like the pipeline is supposed to be that way too," said Butschek.

The new pipeline will run parallel to an existing oil pipeline. It will run for 600 feet along her property with a swath 50 feet wide.

"Imminent domain takes years takes lots of money to fight it and uh it wasn't coming through the middle of the property to destroy the property. So there's a pipeline back there already so we just chose to work with them," said Butschek.

The Seaway Pipeline will pump crude oil from Cushing, Oklahoma through Pontotoc, Johnston, Bryan and Grayson counties, toward the gulf.

The company released this statement: "The benefit of this new pipeline will reduce the need for imported crude oil. And help increase our domestic energy security."

Butschek says the company helped ease their minds.

"We met with the representatives with Seaway crude pipeline company, they were very nice. They were concerned about our concerns," said Butschek.

The Seaway Pipeline will be a twin of the existing Seaway pipeline.

Service is anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2014 with a capacity of 450,000 Barrels Per Day (BPD).

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